# Principal Biology Specialist

**Company**: TaskUs
**Location**: Remote, USA
**Work arrangement**: remote
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: $150,000 - $220,000
**Category**: Other
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://taskus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Careers/job/USA---Remote/Principal-Biology-Specialist_R_2610_13877?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_7b086f32-40f

## Description

TaskUs partners with pioneering technology companies to build the safety, intelligence, and human-in-the-loop operations powering next-generation artificial intelligence.

In this role, you will lead a specialized domain pod supporting one of the world’s foremost frontier AI research and safety companies. The mission is paramount: prevent state-of-the-art AI systems from lowering technical barriers to the creation or proliferation of biological weapons and catastrophic risks.

As the Principal Biology Specialist, you will serve as the pod’s senior subject matter authority and technical lead. You will oversee a tiered team of specialists, establish nuanced adjudication frameworks, resolve the most ambiguous dual-use escalations, and provide executive briefings to client safety leads on emerging biological risk vectors.

**Responsibilities:**

- Act as the final escalation authority on the pod for ambiguous, high-consequence cases, complex customer appeals, and potential high-severity biological threat activity.

- Set the standard for distinguishing benign, legitimate scientific inquiry from catastrophic misuse, including sourcing and acquisition of select agents and toxins, genetic modification or enhancement of transmissibility, virulence, or immune evasion, scaled culturing, synthesis, down-stream processing, and purification, and formulation, weaponization, and aerosolization/dispersion mechanics.

- Deliver high-fidelity, peer-reviewed ground-truth labels that directly validate, evaluate, and fine-tune automated AI safety and refusal classifiers.

- Refine investigative playbooks and labeling taxonomies in alignment with international biological conventions and US Select Agent regulations; advise client policy leadership on evolving biotechnology capabilities.

- Technically direct and mentor Senior and Junior Biology Specialists; manage review calibration and quality assurance protocols to maintain rigorous, defensible determinations across the pod.

- Synthesize technical findings into clear, actionable risk memos for client biosecurity leads, advising on emergent frontier model capabilities and dual-use boundaries.

**Requirements:**

- Advanced Degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Microbiology, Virology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Synthetic Biology, Biosecurity, or a directly related life-sciences discipline.

- 9+ years of professional experience in biodefense, biosecurity policy, public health threat surveillance, biosafety, or specialized CBRN analysis.

- Exceptional fluency in life-science research protocols, enabling immediate distinction between legitimate academic workflows and illicit, actionable step-by-step weaponization pathways.

- Deep familiarity with national and international biosecurity frameworks, including the Federal Select Agent Program, GDM, BWC, and export control regimes.

- Proven track record of technically leading a team of scientists, analysts, or intelligence specialists in high-stakes environments.

- Exceptional ability to communicate complex microbiological principles and risk assessments to technical engineers, policy teams, and client executives.

- Based in the United States with unrestricted work authorization.

**Benefits:**

- Competitive industry salaries

- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with company match; and paid time off including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

## Skills

### Required
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
- Synthetic Biology
- Biosecurity
- CBRN analysis
- Biodefense

### Nice to have
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Department of Health and Human Services
- CDC
- USAMRIID
- Intelligence Community
- U.S. Government Security Clearance

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Source: [Apply at taskus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com](https://taskus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Careers/job/USA---Remote/Principal-Biology-Specialist_R_2610_13877?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)